This invention relates to an information management system for managing a document or the like, and more particularly, to a technology for managing a paper document and a digital document.
In recent years, as a result of advancement of a digital technology, it has become possible to digitize hand-written information annotated to paper with ease. However, currently, a computer manages only a digital document obtained by digitizing a paper document. Under this condition, hand-written information annotated to the paper document is not managed digitally, which makes it impossible to effectively use the hand-written information.
As a technology for solving this problem, there is proposed a hybrid document management system which can manage hand-written information. This hybrid document management system manages a document containing hand-written information without distinguishing between a paper document and a digital document.
Also, a pen-type input device (digital pen) that digitally obtains a path of a pen tip is put to practical use. The digital pen inputs the obtained pen tip path into a computer. Examples of the digital pen include the “Anoto pen” developed by Anoto AB in Sweden. The details of the digital pen are described in WO 01/71473 A1. The digital pen has an advantage that it is possible even for a user, who is not used to using a keyboard or a mouse, to use the pen easily, and is therefore expected to be applied to application tasks in the electronic government and other fields.